Food Security
CHEER currently hosts 3 food distributions. These food distributions include the Food as Medicine, Takoma Park Food Distribution through Cultural Grocery Stores, and the Community Food Assistance (CFA). Our food distributions not only provide things like fresh fruits and vegetables to Long Branch and Takoma Park residents, but they also creates a valuable space for the sharing of community input, resources, and events.
Our Food Distributions
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Community Food Assistance Program (CFA): This innovative program provides participants a mostly free-choice food distribution model. Each month, participants receive a $20 credit (As of August, $40) to purchase food from either Crossroads Farmers Market or Community FarmShare Mobile Market in the spring, summer, and fall. In the winter, they receive a produce box from Hungry Harvest.
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Food as Medicine: This program builds off of our CFA model. However, this program also provides nutrition education to students and their families. CHEER partners with 3 local School-Based Health Centers to provide this program. These schools include: 1. New Hampshire Estates Elementary 2. Rolling Terrace Elementary, and 3. JoAnn Leleck Elementary.
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Takoma Park Food Distribution through Cultural Grocery Stores: With funding support from the City of Takoma Park, CHEER provides monthly vouchers to 50 participants to be able to shop at one of two local cultural grocery stores. These grocery stores include Adarash Market and Megamart. Our voucher system food distribution is crucial to improving food security as it allows participants to shop for their own culturally relevant foods directly at a local grocery store. It also helps to eliminate any sense of shame that people may experience if they are picking up boxes or bags at food distributions or food pantries.
Questions?
If you have any other questions about this program, please contact Kent Sovine at kent@communitycheer.org